Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-12-19
HURLEY'S DENS.
A Description of the Awful Scenes About
the Wisconsin Lumber Town.

the Wisconsin Lumber Town.
MINNEAPOLIS, MIMI, December 10
A prominent railroad official, who has just
returned from Northern Wisconsin, says
the reports about the vile dens in that
section have not been exaggerated, and
that the State and county officials are
guilty of falsehood or else they do not
know what they are talking about The
gentleman referred TO has been connected
with the 800" Road for the past two
years. The greater part of that time has
been scent in the midst Of the scenes of
which the little that is known has caused
people to shudder lie has had oppOr-
tunities to become acquainted with the
situation such rs few men have had, and
his veracjty is beyond question.
al have been connected with the con-
structiOn of roads through new territory
all my life he went on, "but | never saw
anything that compares with the heil-holes
of Northern Wisconsin. The newspaper
reports have not been exaggerated, simply
because those places cannot he eXagger-
atcd, except in one or two minor points
In Hurley. Ashland, Diamond City, and
the other vile holes the variety thcatcrs
are the worst places. The girls
ARE NOT IMPRISONED
nor kept under lock and key, as people
have been I'D to suppose. They imprisOn
them in different way. Girls are induced
to come there by big salary. When they
arrive they ale fined for every little
thing. In fact, the fines keep them without
money, and they eau get away. 1t is a
common thing fer women to sell their
clothes from their backs to get money to
get out of town. Then a great many
women are ruined in these variety theatres.
They take girls who are pure but ignorant,
drug them and induce them to 20 TO the
theatre. There they are ruined When
the brute docs thing of that sort he goes
ont and tells his friends: then they sur
round the poor stupid girl and torment
her. | have known Of cases where they
have taken every strip Of clothing from a
girl and made merry OF her.
These dans are nearly always surround
cd by = high hoard fence. The majority
ofwOmen in the vile sinks are the wretChed
creatures who are cast out of the lowest
dens of the city. Occasionally young
girl is found among them. The men in
that country represent a. low q form OF
civilization as the women. They are
mostly Pol&cks. They do not seem to be
human. They have no respect for a
woman, no matter how pure or good she
may be. They will assault one whenever
they get an opportunity. Scarcely night
goes by that some one is not dangerously
Injured in the danCe-h houses. Many and
many q murder has been committed which
has been hushed up quickly. They forget
all about one murder in that country in q
day or two. | know of four Swedes that
were murdered in a quarrel. The author
tiles never heard of il. We do not dare to
say much; our lives would not be worth
much if we did,
Many q girl is induced to 20 into those
dens who had better have died when che
first set foot inside the door, The lite the
women lead is something 50 frishtful in
its degradation that it is appalling.
don't think that so many young girls are
taken into that country as there were. The
agitation in regard to il has
MADE THEM SOMEWHAT WARY,
but great many innocent girls are taken
there vet 4 few weeks in one of those
towns will so change a woman that there
will be scarcely trace left OF what she was
before she went there Before the fire
Hurley was probably the worst town on
the continent. l have been in the worst
mining and construction camps, bat they
are not 20 be compared to Hurley as it was.
There was one block composed wholly CT
saloons, and two-thirds OF the buildings in
the town were saloons, dance houses and
gambling houses. There was no pretense
of law and order. The worst dives were
located on the outskirts. They were usu
ally frame buildings and comprised a sa'
loon and long dance hall. The latter
opened into a corridor having a number OF
rooms on either side.